Too tired to see ads on Facebook that seem to know a little too much about you? Have you ever felt when you talk about something, or search for it , and suddenly ads for it appear everywhere. It can feel a bit frustrating and creepy, right? Well, many people feel the same way . But there’s no need to worry, as you can take control.
What is ad tracking on Facebook?
Before we start, let us quickly understand how Facebook tracks our ad activity. Basically Facebook uses our interactions like – comments, likes or all the websites that we have visited to build profiles of our interest. This profile is used to personalize the ads you see on your feed to make them relevant . These personalized ads can be helpful sometimes, but can also be a threat to our privacy .
So, are you also concerned about your privacy or want to delete your ad activity? Then, don’t worry. We’ll help you with that . Whether you are using a phone or computer, we will provide a step by step guide on how to get rid of recent ad activity from your Facebook page.
Why should you delete recent Ad Activity?
So why should one go through the process of deleting recent ad activity on Facebook? There are some reasons for this:
- Secrecy: Erasing your advertisement action minimizes the amount of personal information that can be traced back to your account; thus it helps in safeguarding your privacy online.
- Command: Removing ad activity enables you to customize your own ad experience and make sure that every ad that appears is closer to whatever you like most as per now.
- Decluttering: Seriously, nobody wants ads for things they have no interest in popping up all the time. This is another main reason to delete these ad activities to minimize these annoying ads popup.
Deleting Advertising Acts on Facebook – Computer
- Sign into your account on Facebook:
- Log in to Facebook through any web browser on your Mac or PC.
- Enter login information i.e. username, email address or phone number and password to securely log into your account.
- Viewing Your Ad Preferences
- On the top right corner of the facebook homepage, click on a down facing arrow button that will reveal a drop down menu.
- It is important for you to know that when it comes to settings and privacy, you need to click on that small downward arrow then click on “Settings”.
- Go to Ads under Settings by clicking on “Ads” found in the left column of the settings page.
- Locating Ad Preferences
- You can navigate back up to this setting by going back up to ads located in the left-hand column. You may also want to manage ad preferences under there too.
- Edit Your Ad Interests
- Scroll down until you see the “Ad Interests” section on the Ad Preferences page where all categories appear including what Facebook has assumed with regard to your interests driven by activity, interactions and profile information available in this website.
- Take some time viewing these interests which range from hobbies, brands up-to certain types of contents.
- Deleting Individual Interests
- Therefore, if you want to remove a specific interest, place the cursor on it and then an “X” will be visible on the right hand side.
- Facebook will request for confirmation when you click on the “X” next to the selected interest that you wish to delete.
- Repeat this procedure until all your unwanted interests are removed so that your ad preferences can be in tune with your present new tastes and preferences.
- Wiping out Ad Activity
- Scroll down to the page’s bottom Ad Preferences section labeled “Advertisers and Businesses.” This is where there is a list of advertisers or businesses whose ads you interacted with on Facebook.
- In this part, there are details about your engagements, clicks and buys of ads among others.
- Removing Individual Interactions
- To eradicate interactions with any advertiser or business listed, find its name here.
- Clicking on the “X” button beside the advertiser or company name would erase all past communications between them and yourself.
- Facebook may ask for permission before completely erasing. Confirm such an action by proceeding ahead.
- Ensure Changes Saved
- After you have completed removing these interests as well as interactions, scroll all the way down till it reaches the bottommost area of the Ad Preference page.
- By clicking onto the ‘Save Changes’ below tab, users commit their changes and update their current behaviors as well as choices in order to match what they desire from advertisements.
- Double-checking Your Changes
- After saving your changes, please pause a moment and take a look at the updated ad preferences.
- Go back to the Ad Preferences page to ensure that it is successfully cleared of your ad activity and updated as per your preferences.
Instructions for Mobile Devices:
- Launch the Facebook App
- Install then open Facebook app on the portable device and key in your credentials to sign into your account.
- Open Settings
- Click on the menu icon represented by three horizontal lines found at the right corner within the bottom of the screen to access the main menu.
- Navigate through Ad Preferences
- Scroll down menu options till you reach “Settings & Privacy” followed by “Settings.”
- Click on the “Ad Preferences” button so as to get into settings and preference for ads.
- Review and remove interests
- To see this list go to the section named “Review Your Ad Preferences” beneath heading ‘Ad Interests.’
- Removing every interest from ad preferences by clicking an X beside each one while consuming only current interests.
- Clear Ad Activity
- Scroll down to where it says “Advertisers and Businesses”.
- Tap on “Ad Activity” so you can see a list of advertisers and businesses you have engaged with.
- To get rid of the previous interactions, click on “X” that is beside each advertiser or business until your ad activity history has been erased.
- Save Your Changes
- After clearing your Ad Account activities, tap the “Save Changes” option to make sure that the changes have taken effect and your ad preferences are updated accordingly.
- Validate Your Changes
- Once you’ve saved the changes, take a second look at your ad preferences so as to ascertain that your ad activities have been successfully removed and your preferences genuinely hold. By doing this, Facebook ensures that they provide its users with relevant ads based on interests in order to enhance their experience.
Just follow these simple steps to take control over ad activities on Facebook and ensure that your online experience is more personalized to your preferences. Increase your privacy and remove all your concerns and doubts. Enjoy a cleaner and more private browsing experience on the world’s largest social media platform!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Will deleting my ad activity affect the ads I see on Facebook?
Clearing your ad activity may result in seeing less relevant ads initially, as Facebook won’t have as much data to personalize them. But with time , your ad preferences may be updated based on your new activity.
2. How often should I clear my ad activity on Facebook?
There’s no set rule for how often you should clear your ad activity. You can do it as often as you want. It totally depends on your comfort.
3. Will clearing my ad activity prevent Facebook from tracking me in the future?
Deleting your ad activity is just a step to maintain and manage your privacy on Facebook. It won’t completely stop Facebook from tracking your activity, but it can help to reduce the data they have on you for ad targeting purposes.
4. Can I opt out of ad tracking altogether on Facebook?
While you can’t completely opt out of ad tracking on Facebook, you can modify your ad preferences and settings to limit the information they use for targeting ads to you.
5. Will clearing my ad activity delete my Facebook account?
No, it will not impact your Facebook account as it will only remove the data related to the ads you have interacted with. It doesn’t delete your Facebook account or any other personal information.
